We have always thought so
by the other ghost girl
Summary: (a semi labrat sequel to "closure")Magnus knew something was wrong when Danny missed his appointment, but a few weeks later he shows up at the sanctuary in serious condition, and Now Magnus has to keep him alive while dealing with a Post sleepers Tesla (who is in the middle of an existential crisis), the last sects of Cabal, Vlad, and even his own parents.
1. a beginning and an end

Danny's POV

It hurt so much.

My lungs burned more than I thought possible, my chest was being held together with bandages and my legs felt like they were at the breaking point….. My entire body shivered with the cold and the pain of it all, of the wrongness of it.

I can't say that I hadn't expected something like this to happen, that's why I hadn't told them, why I made everyone who knew PROMISE not to tell.

Why I was planning to move into the Old City Sanctuary, or the one near Baltimore. At least until I was done with school, until I had a little more control. I was putting it off until I was sixteen; I had been faking some symptoms so that they think that it was because of my "disease" rather than anything that was actually their fault. (Just because I didn't trust them, it doesn't mean that I wanted to hurt them)

I guess I had been so focused on keeping my secret identity secret, and protecting Amity (all while collecting data for Magnus) that I had not pieced together what their latest gadgets meant.

The dart gun, coated with a sedative tailored specially for ghosts,

The soundproof ghost-holding cell,

Finally the new surveillance equipment.

Maybe if I had been paying more attention to what they were doing than keeping my secret safe I wouldn't have gotten into this mess.

Heck, if I'd been paying more attention to my surroundings I might have noticed the signs.

Another bolt of agony raged in my chest, interrupting my train of thought and I almost fell; but I held it in because I knew if I stumbled now I wouldn't be able to get back up. I'm amazed that I've even gotten this far, but I suppose that I have that machine they used on me before starting to thank for that. Even though I probably could have gotten help at a hospital if they hadn't I don't think that my human body would have been able to survive the trip there.

I managed to get to the gate before things started to blur again. I shook my head to try to clear my vision, to limited success. I managed to punch in the security code and get through before my head started spinning and my heart started to repeat itself again.

I thought I was at the front door but I couldn't be sure, my hands were slick with rain and blood as I pounded on it, and hoped I was right.

I couldn't knock anymore, or stay upright. I tried to stay upright, but the best I could do was supporting myself against the arch. I thought I saw someone in the doorway, but I couldn't be sure.

Then my heart skipped again and my eyelids fluttered closed.

Magnus's POV

Even though I've known Danny for the better half of two years, he (as well as his species in general) remain somewhat of a mystery to me. There have been times when I almost begin to understand, he manages to do something that leaves me right where I started. For instance, barely a year after we first met, he comes to me with a giant glowing dog monster and asks me to see what's wrong with it. You see up until this point I'd thought that all of the species of ghosts were humanoid, so the sudden appearance of a ghostly hound completely unhinged every theory I had come up with (we eventually found the problem, but that's a story for another time) Danny's mere existence is an enigma, because although I personally know that radiation as well as blood can unlock hidden genes Danny doesn't seem to have any natural ghost genes anywhere in his ancestry. I've become so befuddled on the matter that I've allowed Tesla to have a look at his blood to see what he makes of it and he seems to be stumped as well (he even _admitted_ it).

Although Danny's terrified of the idea of his parents accidentally killing him he's loathe to tell them about his true nature because he's too worried about how they might react, and yet he refuses to move to one of the sanctuaries nearby for fear that his parents might think that they've done something wrong. Not that his case isn't as extraordinary in this aspect, it's common for first generation abnormals to feel this way, but it's frustrating nonetheless.

Other than the fact that his mere existence causes so many questions without answers he seems to be a good lad, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that even with his limited control on his abilities that he isn't a threat to "normal" people.

So the fact that someone would do something so heinous to him is even more shocking.

I should explain a little further than this.

It started when Danny hadn't shown up for his scheduled appointment.

Usually he's very careful about alerting one of our sanctuaries if location or time is a problem, and even then he seems to find a way to get to one, but this seemed to be an exception. I felt that something was wrong when the head of the Baltimore sanctuary informed me of this so I tried to contact his parents to make sure that Danny was alright, but to no avail. After several more failed attempts and no word from Danny, his Family, or anyone close to them I sent Will to check in person.

He came back and told me that Danny's parents had filled a missing person's report about a week ago, and that the parents were staying with a close friend for support.

I thought, at least at first, that something had finally pushed Danny into fleeing his parents and told the Baltimore sanctuary to keep a lookout in case he turned up, and I called some of my contacts in the police department to put out an APB for him.

Will decided to stay in Amity a little longer to interview Danny's friends , teachers, and neighbors in case they might know something. I probably would have helped if I didn't have my hands full at the moment.

Not only did I have a pregnant lotus elk that could go into labor at any moment, I needed to keep an eye on Tesla.

Although Tesla could be an irritatingly insufferable know it all at times the fact remained that he was one of the last of the five, and one of my oldest (and I say this with the loosest meaning of the word) friends. His vampiric nature had not only been a major driving force for a huge portion of his life, but it had been a major source of pride to know that there had been a race that may have been just as errr eccentric as he was, I was worried about what he might do now that he was "normal" once again (albeit with more perks). Soon after he'd become human he began to regain some of his phobias and OCD habits that had literally taken decades to break, he'd also rediscovered the fact that as a human he could get drunk, and I'd had to put a lock on the wine cellar and hide all of the liquor in the kitchen or face one of his fits. It was more or less like having a self-destructive toddler running around in the sanctuary, and I was beginning to seriously consider signing him up for some sort of rehab, although the irony caused me to hold off on it.

I was walking to check on the elk (with tesla following closely behind) when we heard it.

The rapping sound was faint at first, but slowly began to increase in speed and volume. I paused for a moment before remembering that we were close to the front door, I assumed that either Kate had forgotten the code to the garage again, or the supplies I had ordered had been delivered, the rapping got louder, and I got irritated. "I'M COMING CALM DOWN" I yelled, the knocking slowed, then stopped.

I heard Tesla chuckle and I glared at him through the corner of my eye, he pretended to be serious, and I pretended not to be pleased that he'd laughed for the first time in weeks. I opened the door, expecting an impatient deliveryman, or a soaked Kate. Instead I saw someone I didn't except and almost didn't recognize.

He was much thinner than the last time I'd seen him, and the hoodie he was wearing cast a shadow over most of his face. If it hadn't been for his weakly glowing green eyes, I would have thought that he was a vagrant teen who had mistaken the sanctuary for a church.

The boy would cracked his head on the entry way if Tesla hadn't been there, I wasn't quite fast enough to grab him before he went down, but Tesla seemed to be able to tell what was going to happen before it did. I pulled the hood back and got a good look at his face. It was Danny, although it was his ghostly form, I checked his pupils and his breathing, and heartbeat. All were far from normal, even for him.

I unzipped his jacket which revealed a mass of blood bandages and ectoplasm. The injuries he had when we first met were a papercut in comparison to this.

"Nikola help me get him into the infirmary" Tesla looked shocked "Shouldn't we put him on gurney or something?" "No time, we'll just have to be careful" even so he managed to grab a sheet from one of the guest rooms and improvise. We barely stepped foot inside when Danny started to go into cardiac arrest, it took several minutes of cpr for him to start breathing on his own. He had lost enough fluids that I had to use a scalpel to cut open a vein so I could administer a saline solution, Tesla had to hold him down at this point because he began to struggle and shout as soon as he felt the first cut.

I unwrapped the bandages to find that his chest had been cut in a y shaped pattern, his organs where coated in a thin layer of ectoplasm that seemed to protect them from being damaged by the bandages or flaps of skin, but it was obvious that someone had been playing with his organs like he was a biology class assignment. I disinfected the wound and tried to put everything in the right places. When I was done I stitched the wound.

Danny had passed out soon after I got the IV in, but I decided to wait to give him a sedative until he was more stable. I had to put restraints on him to prevent him from hurting himself if he woke up before then. After I cleaned off my hands I sat on one of the beds opposite the ghost boy and just stared.

"Is this him?" Tesla asked, eyeing the boy with curiosity. I could see a spark of the old mad scientist Tesla in his eyes as he said that, and although I saw that as an improvement I was more focused on keeping Danny alive "Yes, this is Danny. However, you're not to touch him unless I tell you otherwise. In fact, don't even say anything to him for a few days. Poor lad has enough on his mind without you're scheming" Tesla raised his hands, palms open in a mock "don't hit me" gesture "Calm down, I was just wondering. I think I have a right to know." There was an awkward silence for a moment as we both listened to Danny breathe. " Helen, do you have any idea who did this?" I pretended to ignore him for a minute and he got irritated "Helen we both know that an animal can't make those cuts, and only someone with training could-" "I KNOW NIKOLA" He stopped mid-sentence then took a deep breath "all I'm saying is that we need to find out if this is a person acting on their own or an organized effort, and more importantly…why?"

The boy's snow-white usually unruly hair stuck limply to his forehead with sweat, he had been improving, this much was true, but that wasn't saying much. He'd been unconscious for several days, and while his blood count was back to its normal level, his ectoplasm count was taking longer to replenish itself, and was still dangerously low. He continued to twitch and spasm occasionally in his sleep like a dog but he never cried out. The man sitting by his bedside continued to watch the boy dream, and occasionally put a hand in his when he needed one. No one actually saw this man (though Tesla and Henry seemed to sense him), nor did he want to be seen. Unlike the previous ghosts that had been here, he was here by choice and could leave at any time he pleased, but chose to stay with his charge until he was out of the woods.


	2. In which vlad kicks the pooch

Vlad had been contacted by the sanctuary shortly after Danny's parents, but due to the fact that he currently lived closer, he arrived before they did. Vlad had a certain amount of disdain for these places, he considered the so called… abnormals, a mere inconvenience in his plan to claim his birth right, barbarians barely worth the time and effort used to house them.

Despite this he decided to put his hatred aside in order to be there to support Daniel. Even though he had put the boy through so much mental and physical torture over the years he still loved him(in a sick twisted way) and thought of him more as a wayward son who he was trying to discipline, than a hated enemy . even Danielle and her siblings were more of his way of making an example than anything else. in fact he wasn't even entirely convinced that he wasn't his _biological_ son, it was true that he had attempted paternity tests but the accident had not only altered _his_ DNA, but Daniel's as well, making anything available inconclusive. It was impossible to tell if it had been the one night spent with him out of pity or the guilt ridden one spent with Jack the night after that had created Daniel, but sometimes the way that Jack and Maddie treated him seemed to suggest that it may have been the first.

Vlad still wondered if Daniel's condition could be considered "his" fault. In their intricate dance of cat and mouse he had set a minor bounty on his head for a short period, but had withdrawn it when Daniel had played into his hands by giving himself up to Jack; The downside was that he had not only drawn the GIW's attention to him, but other….. more sinister third parties as well. He did have shares in Cabal, that much was true; However he had given them express orders to leave Daniel and his alter ego out of it.

It had seemed like they were obeying orders up until the company had disappeared after an overambitious operation failed,though he'd heard rumors from some of his associates that the organization was trying to rebuild itself from the shadows.

If this was true, they might hold a grudge against him violently severing his connections to spare himself an investigation.

Vlad had his chauffer drop him off several blocks from the complex to avoid any wandering eyes. It took several minutes for them to let him in and even longer for them to confirm his identity, but he remained patient.

As they were leading him to the infirimary, as well as grilling him on any enemies that Daniel might have Vlad heard a mighty, earth shaking bark.

He froze and saw a huge great Dane pit-bull mix looming over him. The dog's size was exaggerated, and his coat was a ghastly, unearthly shade of green, and recognition as well as hatred burned in the animal's bright red eyes. The animal obiviously still held a grudge from their last encounter.

"Cujo"'s muzzle curled back in a snarl as the woman who had shown him there was attempting to calm him down. The animal seemed to trust the woman, but it didn't back down. Her eyes narrowed "Cujo heel!" the animal looked at her then Vlad again, and stopped growling. She ordered him back to his kennel, but the animal wouldn't budge. When she turned her back, Vlad allowed his eyes to shimmer a violent shade of red, and zapped the beast on the leg that still bore the scars from the last time they had met. The animal yelped louder than Vlad had anticipated and backed away, tail between its legs.

She looked back at him and apologized "I'm sorry, that was our resident therapy dog, he's usually much more well behaved."

Vlad smiled condescendingly "It's alright; I've never been fond of dogs anyway."

**hi :D so a little background info,you've probably already figured out that vlad's the reason why Danny took Cujo to Magnus, but the reason why he's still there is that after Magnus helped nurse him back to health he decided to stick around and has been the sanctuary's therapy/guard dog ever since. Magnus really only allows this because he obeys her pretty easily and it gives her a chance to study ghosts more closely. anyways back to the story**

Danny's POV

It had been a relatively clear and beautiful night when it happened, everything had been pretty quiet so I was planning on turning in early and trying to get some studying in if I could manage it. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be in the cards. There had been a new ghost that was showing interest in crossing into the human realm for several months, and had decided to choose tonight to actually stage his "invasion". At first it didn't seem like it was going to be much of a problem, he initially seemed to be just above the box ghost in threat level, but as the fight began to progress it became apparent that he was something that I had never encountered before. He seemed to get stronger with every ectoblast and punch I threw at him, and returned it with interest. By the time I managed to get him into a corner long enough to thermos him, I was weaker than a kitten as well as disorientated, so I didn't notice that my parents had been watching me the entire time.

Once they'd short circuited my powers (including the one that allowed me to shift) I was an easy target, and the sedative worked quickly so I didn't put up much of a struggle. It was so effective, that I didn't wake up until my mother was cutting into my skin. I was detached, and whatever painkilling qualities the drug still had were still in effect, so at first I wondered if I was having a nightmare up until the point when they began to try and break my ribs to get a look at my heart and lungs. I try to beg for mercy, or for my parents to recognize me but either my mouth won't form words or they won't listen to them from a ghost. I'm not sure how much time passes between this point and when the phone rings. I barely comprehend the fact that the conversation is about me. Apparently the teachers think I skipped school, and my parents can't remember if I was in bed when they got home or if I was with friends, So they put away their tools, and left me alone.

I have to break one of my hands to get loose and undo my other restraints. Somehow, I knew that I needed to slow the bleeding and keep my internal organs together, at first I tried to used my mother's needle point supplies to make some impromptu stitches but the thread isn't strong enough, so I have to tightly wrap bandages around the wound to keep the skin in place and form a barrier. I come to the realization that I am naked, and my jumpsuit is ruined, so I grab whatever mom had put into the dryer that fit me (in this case one of jazz's tank tops, a hoodie and some jeans) and as I try open the door to run as far away as possible my parents are at the door.

They greet me with those grotesquely eager smiles ,I'm knocked to the floor and mom tries to slit my wrists while Dad holds me down, but she isn't mom, she's someone else, someone I know I should recognize, but that's only for an instant and they begin to pull me further into the darkness


	3. the fiercest anger of all

Magnus called Will last. Her first priority was getting Danny's family here, and hadn't thought to call him until later that evening. Will had been enjoying his room at Amity Park's longest running (and only) hotel when his cell rang, he'd been interviewing Danny's friends and teachers, most of the students and teachers at Casper high didn't really know Danny (even the ones who shared classes with him) the ones that did mostly said that he was a quiet kid, kind of weird, and tried to turn the focus of the conversation over to them; Mr. Lancer wasn't surprised that he'd "run off", and mentioned that he seemed bright, but was hard to teach and harder to get along with, and several of the others agreed with that statement. One teacher did mention that she had considered calling child services because of the bruises that seemed to always cover his arms and legs. However once Will finally tracked down Danny's _best_ friends, he managed to get some useful information. It took a little convincing, and proof to make them believe that he was from the Sanctuary, but once they did they gave him a list of all the people (human and ghost) that might have taken him. Sadly, it was a long list.

They offered to let him into the Fenton house so that he could check for clues, or drive the specter speeder so that they could check the ghost zone, but Will declined, at least until he took a breather.

Although Will was surprised to find out about how severe his injuries were, he wasn't surprised that he hadn't been found without any. Will went down the list of names he'd collected; it was an impressive list, especially for a 15 ½ year old. Before he could finish though Magnus stopped him, he'd come back at the end of the week and they'd go over the list together. Will replied by saying that he was going to check the Fenton household to see if he could find anything else that could help.

Will took several minutes of staring at the ceiling before he finally opened up his laptop.

Vlad had left to get some take out when the parents arrived. They were frantic, and they demanded to see Danny right away, but I managed to get them to calm down enough to speak my peace. "He's out of any immediate danger right now, but you need to know something before we show him to you"

I paused for emphasis "He's going to look differently then you remember, he's been on his own for a while and he's been injured that entire time so he's going to be very pale and very thin. There's going to be a few other…. Differences as well but I need you to keep an open mind and remember that this is your son ok?" They nodded. I smiled "good" I walked them down to the infirmary and I repeated the routine that I had used on Vlad, word for word. "He's on some strong painkillers right now, so don't expect him to wake up or react to what you say, and try to keep your voices down." I continued my brisk pace and cautiously opened the door. Danny still hadn't changed back into his human form, but he looked better than he had before. "What kind of sick joke are you trying to pull here, that's Phantom. Not Danny" I looked back at them, confused. They had hate in their eyes

I understood all too quickly, but I was slower to believe it.

"No… You didn't"

"We're licensed ghost hunters; we have the jurisdiction under paragraph 5 subsection c

Of ectoplasmic law to hunt, and capture any ghosts in the Amity Park city limits and deal with them as we

See fit, and this includes dissection and/or disposal of said entities."

I shook my head, appalled at what they were saying "Bloody hell, can't you even see what you've done! THAT'S YOUR SON! Not some animal."

His mother looked at me in a cold calculating way, "whatever that... _thing_ has said to you, he isn't our son. He may look like him and sound like

Him, but he isn't our boy. He's a cruel, uncaring unthinking manifestation of post human consciousness,

ghosts have about as much of a capacity for pain or the comprehension of it as a clam. Now our boy went missing, and he seems

to know something about it so if you'd be so kind as to give us our test subject back, we might be able to work together to find out where he's hidden Danny."

I gritted my teeth "God you people are so thick! Are you really that distant from your own son that you haven't begun to piece things together?"

Jack raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" I sighed impatiently "Have you ever noticed that Danny always seems to be absent when "Phantom" is around"

His mother shrugged "Danny's afraid of ghosts, just like everyone else..." "You Daft little-" I stopped myself for a minute before continuing, "It's more than that

The weak excuses, how he sometimes skips classes, the late nights out on the town, Ever notice that your stupid ghost devices act up whenever he's around-"

"What are you saying?" "Danny and Phantom are the same person, they always have been, always will be. You want to know the real reason why he's come to our faculties every 6 months for the

past two years?" I paused and when no one said anything I answered for him or her, "It's because he's terrified of what you could do to him-"

"Listen you've obviously been affected by the ghost, let us take it and then we'll talk about this later." "NO**"** I slammed my palm on the table for emphasis,

"You are NOT taking him away, I AM NOT going to let someone else die" Danny's parents looked at each other for a minute and then Jack tried to elbow me out of the way to get to Danny, I snarled and back handed him. When his mother tried to kick me, I easily dodged. Tesla seemed to emerge out of nowhere and caused a tray to fly into the mother's face while I kicked him in the stomach. "Get out."

"This isn't the end of this-"

"When I said get out, I what I really meant was get out or I'll have my security team drag you out. Do I make myself clear?"

Danny's mother's eyes narrowed "Crystal"

"Good."


	4. 4 a visitor

It was the first time since he had come to the Sanctuary that Vlad had been allowed to be in the same room with Danny alone. After his parents had effectively abandoned the poor child he became Daniel's guardian, a duty that he had wanted for many years, although he'd never wanted it to happen like this. He hadn't left the room in hours and the effects of a five hour limo ride from Wisconsin were taking their toll. It wasn't long before his head had lolled onto his chest. Vlad had been dozing in the chair next to Daniel's bed for several hours when a vice like grip clamped onto his shoulder. The half ghost woke with a start and found himself staring into a pair of blindingly red eyes.

He was about to scream when the owner of the eyes spoke "save your breath, no one will here you" he gestured with his staff around the room. The sanctuary head was standing barely a foot away, frozen in the act of taking Daniel's temperature, and checking his pulse. A little further from that one of the security personnel seemed to be paused with both feet slightly off the ground. And beyond that the staff psychologist was pouring coffee that was refusing to leave it's position suspended in the air. Yes even though there were able bodied people well within reach no one would hear him, and no one would help him. Vlad's eyes glinted as he turned to the ghost. " what do you want with me clockwork? I thought that the Observants decreed that I wasn't a threat? Don't tell me that they've changed their mind again." Clockwork towered over Vlad.

"the Observants are bureaucratic fools, I am here by my own power" there was a moment of silence broken by Vlad laughing madly "so what will I do that makes you come to kill me, despite the consequences?" "I'm not here for you, Vladimir" Vlad stopped laughing no one called him that, he was more likely to allow the nickname v-man than that name. He turned to see that clockwork was hovering next to Daniel. "Don't you dare if anyone has a right to kill him it's me" "I'm not here to kill him, quite the opposite really"

"then why talk to me?" clockwork watched him carefully, almost sadly "I tried so hard to make sure that you wouldn't be like this. I couldn't save you from yourself but, I can save him" Vlad's frown deepened. "you haven't answered my question"  
" I understand that... In your own way you care for Daniel. Maybe even more than his own parents. So hope that you can do as I ask without any other incentive"  
He watched the fragile form lying next to them. "I need you to stay away from him, I don't care that you finally have good intentions, you had your chance for them long ago and you missed it. "  
Vlad shook his head in denial " no, he needs me. His parents- he needs a father -" "yes, but that isn't you... We have had our differences Vladimir, and I can respect that, but you know that I can see how this will end, and unless you do as I ask, it will not end well." Vlad stared at him "and if I refuse? " "I can and will use force, if necessary"  
Vlad's eyes glowed red. "so be it then"

Magnus' POV  
I had been checking Danny's vitals when I felt something shift. The best way to describe it would be a peculiar chill going down my spine. Then there was a thunderous crash, and I saw something pass through the infirmary wall. Danny suddenly jerked half awake, and rolled onto his side a bluish shimmering gas coming out of his mouth as he choked and gasped. Something passed one of the glass doors and I heard something shatter, Danny's eyes, a fevered shade of green, widened. He moaned and tried to get up. "no you're still healing, you need to stay down." his heart rate was up, and he was panting. His eyes were glazed with pain and the cocktail of drugs that were in his system. "Vlad" he murmured, still not entirely coherent. "Vlad's here he's-" the man was no longer in the chair. Danny seemed to get a sudden burst of strength "NO he can't, not here. Can't let him" he slurred "What? Danny it's all right" I lied, hoping he didn't notice the noise, I hoped that Henry or bigfoot could handle it. I couldn't leave Danny right now, he could hurt himself "don't let him hurt them, they don't know, sitting ducks" he babbled " Danny I promise that I'll try to help, but first you have to tell me what the devil you're talking about" his eyes finally locked on my face "Magnus?" I nodded "it's alright I'm here" "don't trust Vlad" then he went into cardiac arrest.

Clockwork stared up at Vlad, the fight shouldn't have gotten this far, he should have realized that his staff would have been the man's first target. Vlad got ready to hit him with another charge but he pulled at the oriental carpet and made the man stumble enough that his well aimed kick left him sprawled on the floor. Clockwork stretched out his hand and the staff flew into it. "Enough Vladimir. We both know that this is a battle you can not win. I do not want to kill you, but if you insist on delaying any longer I will be forced to do so" Vlad just sneered. "Really Clockwork? Do you have it in you to kill me? You ruined me. I had an entire world of possibilities ahead of me, I would have been married to the love of my life, I COULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY!" "We both know that wasn't my doing, Once Destiny is involved I'm powerless to stop it." Vlad spat at the all powerful being's face "LIAR, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID" Clockwork hesitated, and that was just enough to give Vlad the opening he needed, Clockwork could hear the Sanctuary's security team rounding the corner. He couldn't afford to be seen, not yet. Clockwork cursed audibly and grabbed Vlad by his cape and pressed a button hidden on his staff. When the security team got there all they found was a few scorchmarks.


End file.
